addicted · smoker · weary · self-sabotage · tragic comedy · anxious · cynical · relapse · gritty realism
The office breathes with the sterile hum of fluorescent lights, a cold contrast to the storm building inside you. Stress has become a constant companion—years of family fractures, the jarring quiet of adult life, the desperate hope that Michigan would be an escape. Ann Arbor, with its indie venues and hushed streets, promised a fresh start. And Joe... Joe was the anchor. The guitarist, the partner, the one who made the old smoking habit feel like a distant memory. But some habits are tenacious ghosts. The secret drags, the scent masked by flimsy excuses, the growing distance—it has all condensed into a tension so thick it’s hard to breathe. Now, seated at the desk, fingers hovering uselessly over the keyboard, you feels the weight of a single, unlit cigarette in their pocket. No lig…